20 Urban Legends That Are Actually True

Our fascination with bizarre and unexplained things will always be part of our existence. No matter how they scare us to death, our natural curiosity will always overshadow that fear. And urban legends are no far different from these bizarre and unexplained things.

Urban legends seem like made up stories to scare people or keep people off from a certain place. Or it could also be for entertainment purposes, as well as for semi-serious explanations for random events such as disappearances and strange objects.

Despite its name, an urban legend does not necessarily originate in an urban area. But the term is used to differentiate modern legend from a traditional folklore. Sometimes urban legends are repeated in news stories or distributed by e-mail or social media. But most of it are just made up.

If you want the real deal, we’ve gathered some of the skin crawling urban legends that are actually true.

20. Stalker Under The Bed

Having a stalker is creepy enough. But for them to even near you or touch you will just blow your brains out.

This teenage girl received texts all night from her stalker but she just ignored them. Little did she know he was already under her bed. At one point, the 18-year-old stalker threatened to hang himself outside of her window. When the girl got up in the morning, she checked under her bed and found her stalker. The stalker was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail, which doesn’t seem like enough justice for the psychological damage he caused.

19. Malfunctioning Elevator

Elevators are nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it’s so convenient that we’ve completely relied on these things and ditched the stairs. But sometimes, horrible things could happen that are things that could only happen in nightmares and movies.

Just like what happened in Texas. A doctor was trapped between the doors of the elevator when the elevator started moving. A woman who was inside the elevator with him pushed the emergency stop button, unfortunately, it didn’t work. It continued to move until he was partially decapitated above the jaw. The woman was treated in the ER for shock, but there was nothing they could do for the man. An investigation showed faulty wiring was the cause. Be careful on your next elevator ride.

18. Killer In The Attic

The attic is probably most people’s least favorite part of the house. Why? It’s dark, creepy and sometimes smelly. It only serves as a storage for old, unused stuff.

But in this family home, their attic have been holding something more than old stuff and they didn’t know. Like the Hinterkaifeck murder that happened in Germany. A family of six was killed. But before that, the farmer and owner Andreas Gruber told neighbors he saw footprints in the snow. He also reported hearing footsteps in the attic and noticed the keys to his house missing. In addition to that, the maid left six months earlier because she said it was haunted. The murder has never been solved. So always check your attic.

17. Baked To Perfection

The oven gets turned on but it doesn’t work so the man takes a look inside. But once he’s inside, he falls in and the door slams shut and locks. The oven suddenly starts working and the man is baked alive.

At a factory, a man was trapped inside a factory oven after the doors slammed close. The oven switched on and he was burned to death. To make things worse, no one realized the man was inside when his future son-in-law switched on the oven. An investigation found the company in violation of safety factors. What a nightmare.

16. Legend Of The Boogeyman

The Cropsey Boogeyman was a legend back in the 70s and 80s. It started when children went missing from Staten Island. It was said that the Cropsey Boogeyman kidnapped children so the legend started and children were told to stay away from the woods. But what’s the real story behind the Cropsey Boogeyman legend?

A man who worked for the Willowbrook State facility was questioned by police regarding the disappearance of children. He lived in the woods and was a known drug user. But after investigation, he was never charged with the Staten Island kidnapping. Although he is serving 50 years in prison for kidnapping and murder for a different case. Could he be the real boogeyman?

15. Ex-Lover Revenge

Nothing is more painful than the love of your life ending your relationship. Nobody wants to be left alone, right? But this ex-lover couldn’t get over his girlfriend that he decided to take measures into his own hands.

A bitter 34-year-old man from California was abusive to his girlfriend. So she went away but eventually they reconcile. To her surprise, her Pomeranian was missing when she returned to her apartment. To make up, her ex-boyfriend cooked her a meal and then sent a ton of text messages saying that it was her dog and returned only its paws to her. The man was arrested for animal cruelty and stalking. Bitter much?

14. Library Of Death

The library is supposed to be a peaceful place. But sometimes it can’t be avoided that horrific things could happen. Like someone being murdered without anybody noticing it. These things usually happen in the back corner where the most boring books are kept. Some legends say evil spirits do the killing while other legends say serial killers are on the loose. Nobody hears anything when someone dies, which makes it even scarier.

Back in 1969, a female was killed by a stab wound to the chest. She told her friends she was going to the library to do research on a paper, but she never came back. No one heard anything during the murder and her body wasn’t discovered until a while later. No one knows who killed her and why.

13. Maggots Inside My Ear

Maggots are plain and downright disgusting. But have you heard the one about the lady that went on vacation and came back with maggots in her ear canal? It makes your skin crawl, right? This experience will make you think twice about going on an exotic vacation without wearing protective gear.

After returning from Peru, the lady started hearing weird noises in her head. She ignored it for a while until she started having severe headaches and pain in her face. When she went to the doctor, he found a colony of maggots living in her ear canal.

12. Atomic Wedgie

Wedgies are a child’s thing, right? It’s a mean bully’s form of humiliation. And anyone who experiences it is scarred for life.

But a man in Oklahoma took wedgie to a whole new level. Too much to the next level that he busted a myth. This big bully pleaded guilty to manslaughter because he gave his stepfather an atomic wedgie. But how did he die from a wedgie? The elastic in his underwear was strangled around his neck. The incident happened because of a fight between two grown men. So next time, beware of giving wedgies.

11. Unusual Collection

Having a collection can be a great hobby and stress reliever. But this unusual collector is a legend in Russia.

This eccentric Russian man was arrested for digging up remains in their local cemetery, taking them home and dressing them in female clothing. He then displays these corpses around his apartment. They look like creepy life size dolls. His neighbors had no idea what he was doing but said he was eccentric. Maybe he was just looking for a companion?

10. Mean Boy

Some little boys are nice while some are exceptional. Just like Gerald Floyd Bettis who was said to be a difficult boy. He was born in 1954 and was a stand out for his age and time. Just like any other kid, he collected and adopted stray cats and dogs from around the neighborhood. But he was mean and cruel to these stray animals. He was acting too violent for his age. And as he grew older, he kept his parents prisoner in their own house. He fed them but would beat up them regularly. The house he used to live in is said to be haunted. Who knows what caused this boy to grow up this way.

9. The Fat Sucking Vampire

There is a 400-year-old legend in Peru where tourists are hunted, drained of their blood, and after all their blood was gone, their fat would be eaten. These vampires didn’t only suck blood but ate fat as well.

In the real world, the Peruvian National Police broke up a gang that trafficked human fat. They found bottles full of human fat. The gang extracted it from strangers they bait into the jungle. They used candles to melt the fat that would be collected in a basin. Who knows what these gangs do with these things?

8. Frozen Alive

No, this isn’t about Elsa or Anna. It may sound like it came from a movie or cartoon but this is actually real. It happened.

Way back 1981 in Bismark, North Dakota, a 19-year-old teen got in a car accident and was stuck in the snow overnight. The temperature dropped to 22 below zero. Then her friend found her and the teen was immediately treated. The doctor who treated her said, “I can’t explain why she’s alive.” It’s better than science fiction if you ask me.

7. Sleeping With Dead People

You’re sleeping comfortably in your hotel room and you have no clue that a dead body is under your mattress. Disgusting and creepy, right? Sounds impossible but legend has it that hotel guests smell a weird odor but cannot locate the cause. After a while, the smell gets so bad a more intense search happens and they find the decomposing body.

Like this boy who was staying in a Memphis hotel. A woman before him had been renting the room when she suddenly disappeared. It happened at a budget inn. Surprise, surprise. It was already two months after the woman went missing. The room was then rented out to other people and eventually her body was found under the mattress. Just imagine the sight. Better save up for a better hotel.

6. Pigpen Of Death

Pigs are weak and harmless creatures, right? But there’s a legend that pigs can eat humans. Do you believe it? But yes, it did happen.

In Oregon, a 69-year-old farmer went to feed his animals but he never came back. All they found were pieces of his body and dentures in the pig pen. According to the district attorney’s office, one of the pigs had already bitten the farmer previously. We don’t know how it happened or how the pig ate the farmer but that is a true story. Still want those pork chops?

5. Man With No Face

Charlie No Face is an urban legend in Pittsburgh. He is said to be spotted in country lanes and dark alleys only at night. According to the legend, he lost his face while playing near power lines. But could it be true?

Charlie No Face is an actual man named Raymond Robinson. He really did get electrocuted, but it was by an electric bridge. A kid had died the year before his accident. And electricity was still a relatively new invention during his time. His nose was burnt off, his eyes were crooked, and his left arm was destroyed. He only left his house at night after that because he knew he would scare people.

4. Shadow People

The Shadow People is an urban legend that are creatures like ghosts, but creepier. They usually come to people in the middle of the night. People who have seen the shadow people say they are in a state of sleep paralysis every time they are around.

In Japan, a man was noticing weird shadows and food missing in his home. So he investigated and put in a surveillance camera. He shockingly found a woman hiding on top of his built-in cupboard that stored mattresses and bedding. There was just enough room for her to hide and lay down. She was charged with trespassing. Not all shadows are paranormal.

3. Chimney Death

Who told you Santa Claus is the only one that loves to go down chimneys? There is someone who tried to do this and died in the process. So please don’t try this at home.

A woman in California tried to slide down her lover’s chimney but she got stuck and died of mechanical asphyxia. The 49-year-old doctor had first tried to force entry to the house using a shovel, then she climbed a ladder to the roof, removed the chimney cap and slid feet first down the flue. Her body started decomposing and was found three days after she attempted the break in. She was close to her destination too as her body was just two feet above the opening.

2. Dead Body Surprise

Finding a dead body wrapped in a rug or carpeting is truly a horror. It’s just hard to believe that those things could actually happen to you. But you’ll never know what you’ll find. Especially when you go dumpster diving.

In Columbia University, three college students went dumpster diving to decorate their dorm. They were short on the budget being students. So they found a decent looking carpet and brought it back to their dorm. When they unrolled it, they found a dead body of a male who had been shot one or two times in the head. Those poor students will probably never go dumpster diving again.

1. Tug-Of-War Of Death

Tug-of-war is a fun and entertaining game that anyone can join. But sometimes even the most seemingly innocent things can cause great harm.

At the Retrocession Day celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan one of the largest tug-of-war matches was held where 800 people lined up on each side of a nylon rope to be crowned the winners. Each side pulled as hard as they could, exerting more force than the rope was capable of withstanding. It caused the rope to snap along with the arms of the two men in front. Yang Chiung-ming and Chen Ming-kuo each had their arms ripped apart between the shoulder and elbow due to the force of the rebounding rope. Thankfully, they were rushed to the hospital where doctors spent seven hours reattaching their limbs. Yikes!

What do you think of these stories? Believe it or not, these urban legends are true. You know nothing is impossible and sometimes, “truth is stranger than fiction.” So the next time you hear an urban legend, do a little research. You’ll never know what truth is hiding behind those stories. These are definitely not our grandma’s typical bedtime stories.

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